(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a harvesting apparatus for agricultural products, such as; cherries, plums, apples, pears, vegetables, etc. More particularly, it comprises a machine that is adapted to; distribute the produce in equal portions and thereafter spread the produce for sorting, sizing, weighing, packing and securing the boxes at the orchard or field for direct transport to the marketing-business.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art there have been noticed machines which are capable of performing various functions in the field, but those machines are used for agricultural products which are tougher and which do not need sizing or sorting, weighing and box-packing. Such machines are normally used in the harvesting of potatoes or the like and are generally adapted with a digging feature and a product soil removing feature. Some machines have the capability of an on-the-spot bagging station. As of interest are the U.S. Pat. No. 1,343,586 and No. 2,338,337. Of particular interest and having a closer relationship with the present invention are apparatus which sizes and sorts agricultural products of a more delicate structure, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,906,331 and No. 2,618,387. Of course it should be realized that those apparatus are large conveyor set-ups used for very large quantities of produce and are normally located permanently in a warehouse. In comparison with the present invention such arrangements have a large amount of waste, since the delicate produce is handled more than at a small ranch. For instance, the picked produce has to be collected and stacked and then driven to the warehouse where the produce is temporarily dumped in a bin until it can be processed on the large conveyor system. As will be described herein after, applicants invention avoids the many trips from the orchard or field to the warehouse and reduces the produce handling several times.
The most similar looking apparatus found in the patent search is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,379,198 by Templeton. The main differences are that the apparatus is used for tougher produce such as potatoes and would not be useful for all the various steps of processing that are accomplished by the present invention. Furthermore, the apparatus is being pulled and would be awkward in handling in an orchard. As a matter of fact, Templeton discusses a certain way of harvesting by alternately taking rows at opposite ends of the field. Also in the plan view the operation of the apparatus is different and the center belt is used for dirt clay and rocks, while the side belts are the ones to carry the picked-out potatoes.
There are several other differences which will become more apparent hereafter.